The Things We Hide
by YaoiGoddessNekoJin
Summary: Barry moves in with his former boyfriend from college, but something's not right. His family and friends don't see it. To them, he's the same as he's ever been. It takes Leonard Snart to figure out what it is. He's the only one who can see it because he's lived it. Will he be able to save Barry before it's too late? ColdFlash
1. Chapter 1

Okay, don't kill me! I know I should be working on my other stories, and I will, but I was watching a movie with my mom and it gave me a plot bunny. I hope you guys enjoy this story!

~x~x~x~

Barry ran his hand through his hair as he walked over to the dining room table. He picked up the newspaper that was laying there and read the front page headline. It looked like Leonard Snart had been acquitted of his father's murder. The jury had come back with the ruling because they believed his lawyer that his actions were in self-defense. The man's entire life was put on trial, along with his sister's. Barry was secretly glad that Snart was a free man. While he didn't condone the actions the man took, he understood them. Lewis Snart was a danger to both his children as long as he was alive. Leonard knew that and took actions to prevent anything like what had happened with Lisa from ever happening again. Barry was pulled from his thoughts when arms wrapped around him from behind. He flinched away slightly before calming down.

"Hey, it's just me." a voice said softly in his ear. Barry turned around to look into the brown eyes of the man behind him.

"Yeah, I know." he said. Tyler Moss was his current live-in boyfriend. They had met and dated in college, but the relationship didn't last. Tyler unexpectedly moved to Central a few months prior and tracked Barry down. Admittedly, it wasn't that difficult. They had started dating again and Tyler asked Barry to move into his apartment with him. Tyler looked at the newspaper Barry had been reading and scowled.

"I see that piece of trash got off." he sneered, picking the paper up. Barry sighed. That caught Tyler's attention and the brunette turned furious eyes on him. "What? You think differently?" he asked angrily. Barry tried to shrink back, make himself smaller, but Tyler grabbed his arm roughly. Barry winced and tried to stutter out a response.

"I-I just th-think he's not a-an evil guy. He's n-not that bad." That was obviously the wrong thing to say because Tyler backed up and back-handed Barry across the face. Barry stumbled and caught himself against the table, bringing a hand up to touch his split lip. He looked at the blood on his fingertips and looked up at Tyler fearfully.

"So, you don't think he belongs in jail?! After everything he's done?! Are you just going soft on criminals or do you want him to fuck you?!" Barry's eyes widened and he attempted to protest, but before he could, Tyler used his leg to swipe Barry's feet out from under him. Barry fell to the ground and Tyler kicked him harshly in the ribs. He kicked him several times and, in the process of trying shield himself and fend off the attack, Barry's wrist got kicked and snapped. Barry yelled, tears running down his face as he coughed and tried to plead with his boyfriend.

"Tyler! Stop! Please! I've got work today!" he yelled in a last ditch effort to get the man to stop beating him. That caused Tyler to stop and glare at him.

"So? You heal fast." Barry looked up, green eyes filled with pain.

"Not that fast. Joe will get suspicious." Tyler scowled, but backed up.

"Whatever. But, some advice, you better not let me catch you with another man. Especially one like Snart." Barry nodded frantically, just wanting the other man to leave him alone. Tyler huffed and left the apartment, slamming the door behind him. Barry wiped his eyes with the back of his uninjured hand and started to slowly stand. He ached everywhere. He could tell that at least a couple of ribs were broken and his wrist was shot. He really should go to S.T.A.R. Labs to have Caitlin look at it, but he didn't want to deal with the questions it would bring. Joe was already going to have questions if his lip didn't heal and wrist turned black by the time he got to the station. He was already running late. When Barry got to his feet, he gingerly walked into the bedroom to change for work. His wrist was already starting to discolor and he knew his torso would be, too. Once he was changed, Barry quickly looked at himself in the mirror and fixed his disheveled hair. The cut on his lip was almost healed, but the bruise was purple around it. His eyes were puffy and red-rimmed and he looked like he'd been through the wringer. Taking a deep breath, Barry grabbed his messenger bag and headed out the door, locking it behind him.

~x~x~x~

"Barry!" Joe called. Barry winced. He didn't know if his lip was fully healed yet and hadn't wanted to face Joe until at least lunch. He walked over to his foster father carefully, so as not to jar his ribs, and gave the best smile he could manage.

"Hey Joe." he said. Joe squinted at him suspiciously, looking him up and down. Barry fidgeted nervously.

"Why are you walking so weird?" he asked. Barry sighed slightly. At least he knew his face looked alright. Joe would have zeroed in on that, if it hadn't.

"It's nothing. Just had to take care of some _extra curricular_ business before work." he said quietly, pulling up his sleeve so Joe could see his blackened wrist. Barry hoped Joe bought the excuse. The other man hissed in sympathy when he saw Barry's wrist. "I think a couple of ribs are fractured, but it's nothing I can't handle. Just have to take it easy for a few hours."

"Barr, you need to have Caitlin take a look at those injuries."

"It's fine, Joe. I can take care of it." Barry insisted.

"What if your wrist heals wrong? She'll have to re-break it." Joe argued.

"Then, _if_ that happens, she'll just have to re-break it. I'm fine."

"Alright, whatever you say." Joe conceded. "You better get up to your lab before Singh sees you." Barry nodded and walked to the stairs, dreading the trip up. He _hated_ this. He _hated_ lying to his family and friends. There was just no other way around it. He was just glad that he was a meta-human now and could heal quickly because the only thing that kept his family in the dark about the abuse he'd suffered in college was the fact that he hadn't seen them much. Whenever he would visit his family, Tyler would make sure to leave him alone leading up to the trip so he never showed up with bruises and injuries. Barry sighed, making the painful trip up the stairs. He would have to get better at not angering Tyler right before he had to interact with people.

~x~x~x~

By the time lunch came around, Barry's injuries were fully healed. He was as good as new. The only thing that hadn't healed was his heart and Barry didn't think that was going to happen any time soon. He despised the way his life had turned out. Despised Tyler for causing him so much pain and heartache. Barry stood and grabbed his messenger bag. He needed to clear his head and decided to have lunch at the _Motorcar_ across the street from the precinct. The greasy food there wasn't the best, but it was comforting in a way. He walked out, waving to Joe on the way, and made his way to the diner. Walking in, Barry picked a booth in the far corner and set his bag down before sliding into the seat. A pretty waitress came over and smiled.

"What can I get you to drink?" she asked sweetly. Barry half smiled back.

"Just water." he said.

"Alright. Do you know what you want or do you need a few minutes?"

"I'll need a few minutes." Barry said politely, looking back down at the menu in his hand. The waitress nodded and walked off to get his water, ponytail swinging as she went. Barry was studying the menu intently and didn't notice when someone sat down directly in front of him. The person cleared their throat and Barry jumped, eyes going wide when he saw who was sitting there.

"Snart?!" Barry whisper-yelled, shocked. The other man just smirked at the speedster. "What are you doing here?!"

"What? You're not happy to see me?" Barry floundered for a moment, not quite sure what to say to that. On the one hand, he was secretly happy to see the other man, for some reason. On the other, Snart was trouble. The older man saved him from his own awkwardness by chuckling. Just then, the waitress came back with his water. She looked surprised to see someone else sitting with him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you like something to drink, too?" she asked the newcomer. Snart smiled politely, an expression Barry was surprised to see, and answered.

"Water." The waitress nodded and moved away once more. Barry, too shocked to know what to say, just sat and stared. Snart smirked at him again before taking the reigns of the conversation. "So, how have things been?" he asked lightly. Barry's brain slowly kicked back online.

"Seriously, what are you doing here?" Snart's smirk became a genuine smile. The sight of it took Barry's breath away.

"I was feeling nostalgic. My grandfather used to bring me here when I was young." he paused for a moment before continuing. "It also makes a great spot to learn police response times." Barry rolled his eyes and laughed slightly. "You think I'm joking." Snart said in response.

"No." Barry shook his head, smiling. "It's funny because I know it's true."

"By the way, you can call me Len, kid." Barry's smile grew wider and he tested the name on his tongue.

"Len." The waitress came back with Len's drink and took their orders, blinking in curiosity in the sheer amount of food Barry ordered.

"Wish I had a metabolism like yours." she commented. Barry huffed a laugh.

"No, you don't." he said honestly, looking Len in the eye as if they had some sort of inside joke.

Barry and Len ate their food and chatted with each other like long lost friends catching up on each other's lives. Barry couldn't remember the last time he felt this carefree. They were arguing over who was going to pay the bill, Len quickly winning the honor, when it happened. Barry happened to look up at the CCPD and saw Tyler standing on the steps, looking around. Fear seized his heart and reality came crashing down on him like a bucket of ice water. Tyler _couldn't_ see him here with Len. If he did, it would only put the older man in danger. He didn't know what Tyler would do if he thought Barry was cheating on him with his former nemesis. Len looked at Barry after paying the check and was shocked to see the alarm and fear written across the man's face as he stared out the window. Concerned, he lightly touched Barry's shoulder only for him to flinch away like he'd been burned. That and the expression on his face as he looked up tugged at Len's heart. He always had hated to see the kid in pain. Len was about to ask what was wrong when Barry stood abruptly, grabbing his bag and standing between Len and the window.

"Listen." he whispered urgently. "I need you to wait until I leave and go out the back exit. Whatever you do, don't take the road in front of the CCPD." Len was about to protest when Barry beat him to it desperately. " _Please._ " Len nodded, brows furrowed in confusion. Barry sighed and walked out of the _Motorcar_ , clutching his bag nervously. He saw the moment Tyler saw him, the man's expression morphing into one of anger before smoothing out. Barry took a deep breath before climbing the steps.

~x~x~x~

Len stood out behind the diner he and Barry had just eaten at and peered around the corner. He was curious about what had gotten the kid so rattled. He saw a man standing on the steps of the CCPD, saw the flash of anger cross his face, and saw Barry's shoulders rise and fall as if he took a steadying breath. When he made it to the other man, though he couldn't see his face, Len saw the tension in his shoulders and his hand tightly clutching his bag at his side. Len had to wonder if this was some meta-human enemy of Barry's that had found out the Flash's identity and had the gall to show up at his place of work. Len tensed when the man reached out for Barry. His theory was crushed when the man's hand went around the back of Barry's neck, pulling the slighter man into a kiss. So, _not_ a meta enemy, then. But, Len was still confused because the tension remained in Barry throughout the kiss. His hand remained clutching his bag and his shoulders stayed stiff. Something was wrong. Len turned and started walking in the opposite direction, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He liked Barry. The kid wouldn't still be alive if he didn't. He had noticed, all though out lunch, that there was a sadness and weariness behind Barry's eyes. No matter how big he smiled, it never reached his eyes. It was something Len hadn't noticed the last time he had seen the hero. Of course, he'd been a little preoccupied with saving his sister. Len made a decision then and there. He was going to find out what was wrong with Barry and he was going to try his damnedest to fix it.

~x~x~x~

Barry pulled back from Tyler's kiss and gave the best smile he could muster. He knew it was a brittle expression, but he was trying to not let on that anything was wrong.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. Tyler scowled slightly before smoothing out his expression.

"I came to take you to lunch, but your co-workers said you were already gone. Where were you?" Barry fidgeted slightly and tried to keep his voice as level as possible when he answered.

"I went to the _Motorcar_ to grab a bite. You missed my lunch hour."

"Yeah, well. Don't do this again." he ordered firmly. Barry looked taken aback for a moment and swallowed, mouth suddenly dry.

"W-what?"

"Don't go out for lunch again without telling me first. It's the least you could do. I wasted all this time coming over here. Don't do it again." Barry winced when Tyler grabbed his arm in a painful grip before letting go and heading down the stairs. Barry let out a breath and walked into the station. He could already see that he had a long, painful night ahead of him. At least he could feel peaceful about the fact that Tyler hadn't seen him with Len. The older man was safe. For now. Barry intended to keep him that way.

~x~x~x~

What'd ya think? Reviews are love. 3


	2. Chapter 2

Joe sat in the chair in his living room and pulled out his phone. He had gotten home and settled in after work and now he wanted to speak with Caitlin. Dialing the doctor's number, he put the phone to his ear and listened to the ringing on the other end. After a few rings, Caitlin finally answered.

"Hey Joe." came the doctor's light voice.

"Hey Caitlin. I wanted to talk to you about Barry."

"Is something wrong?" the woman asked. She sounded concerned.

"No, just- When he takes care of Flash business, especially before work, can you just make sure you treat his injuries. I know he can be difficult, but-" Caitlin cut Joe off.

"What are you talking about? I always check him over after a fight." She sounded slightly offended that Joe would suggest she wasn't taking proper care of her patient.

"He told me he had something to take care of as the Flash this morning. He came to work with a broken wrist and ribs." Joe was starting to become confused. Caitlin sounded the same.

"Barry didn't have Flash business this morning. His suit never left the Cortex." Though Caitlin couldn't see it, Joe furrowed his brows.

"Why would he lie?" he asked, mostly to himself.

"I don't know." Caitlin responded anyway.

~x~x~x~

Barry groaned as he lifted himself off the ground. He was a bloody, bruised mess and hurt all over. There was now a blood stain on the carpet he needed to deal with, but when he stood, he moved to the bathroom to get in the shower. He had been right about Tyler's anger. As soon as Barry stepped through the door after work, the yelling and beating had started. Tyler had beaten the shit out of him and then went to bed, where he was currently asleep. Barry tiptoed into the bathroom and closed the door. He slowly stripped and turned the water on. Barry took a moment, while the water was warming up, to look in the mirror. His face was a mess. He had a black eye, split lip, gashes on his forehead and cheek, he was sure his cheekbone was broken with the amount of bruising around it. It would all be gone in the morning, but right now, he looked pretty bad. Checking the temperature of the water, he stepped under the spray and began washing the blood from his face. He hissed when the water initially hit his face, but thankfully, after a moment, he lost sensation. Barry cleaned up and eventually stepped out of the shower, toweling off, re-dressing, and moving into the living room where his phone was. He grabbed his phone when it went off, quickly answering it to silence the ringtone.

"Hey Cisco." he greeted.

"Sorry to bother you, but there's a robbery in progress at a jewelry store in town." Cisco reported urgently. "Dude, it's Snart." Barry rolled his eyes. Of course Len would want to get back in the game. He just hoped it would be dark enough that the other man wouldn't notice his injuries.

"I'm on my way." Barry said, quietly leaving the apartment and flashing off. He didn't slow down once he got to S.T.A.R. Labs, opting instead to change into his Flash suit and leave in the blink of an eye.

~x~x~x~

Len sighed as he put the cold gun back together after cleaning it. Barry's situation was still weighing heavily on his mind. He needed to talk to the kid again. Lisa walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"What's the matter, brother dearest?" she asked. Len just shook his head. Coming to a split second decision, he rose from his chair and looked at his little sister.

"Would you like some new jewelry, Lis?" he asked. Lisa's eyes lit up and she grabbed her gold gun.

"I thought you'd never ask."

"Actually, I'm going alone." At that, Lisa pouted at her brother.

"Spoil sport." she muttered, setting her weapon back down.

Len carefully broke into the jewelry store, making sure to trip the alarm. He walked over to a glass case and used his cold gun to freeze the entire thing. There, they should know it was him. Now, he just had to wait. Len turned toward the door and leaned back against the case. Barry should arrive soon. True to form, Barry arrived with a _whoosh_ and blast of air, the smell of ozone on the breeze. Len smirked, nodding in greeting at the kid.

"Flash." he drawled. Barry huffed.

"What do you want, Cold?" Len shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh, you know, get Lisa a necklace or two, talk, stuff." he answered. Barry's eyes widened slightly.

"You're pulling a heist because you want to _talk_?" he asked, bewildered. At Cisco's squawking in his ear, he reached up and turned his comm off. "What did you want to talk about?" Barry asked, stepping forward, closer to Len. It was a mistake, however, because he immediately felt Len's eyes studying him. He had inadvertently stepped into the light filtering in from the streetlight outside.

"What happened to your lip?" Len asked calculatingly, serious expression taking over his face. Barry blanched, stumbling for a moment, not knowing what to say.

"I- I- I had to break up a bar fight right before I came here. Got caught in the middle." Barry lied weakly, his face going ghostly pale, only serving to make the bruising stand out more.

"Take your mask off." Len ordered, crossing his arms. Barry opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before he was able to make his voice work.

"No." he said, strangled. Len pushed off the jewelry case and took a step forward, Barry taking a responding step back. Len took a quicker step forward and put his hands on Barry's shoulders. Barry tried to pull back, but didn't go anywhere. They both knew he could easily speed away if he wanted to. There would be nothing Len could do to stop him. But, for some unknown reason, he didn't. He stood there as Len cautiously raised both hands to his mask and gently pried it from his face. The moment Barry's face was revealed, Len's features froze over. A momentary look of anger crossed his face before he schooled his expression. He ran a finger down Barry's cheek under the cut that was there. The touch was feather light and it almost felt reverent, loving. Barry's heart was pounding in his chest and his breathing hitched before coming out quicker.

"You need stitches." Len murmured, hesitant to ruin the quiet atmosphere. The older man suddenly noticed that Barry's green eyes were beginning to pool with unshed tears.

"It'll heal." he breathed.

"Who did this?" Len asked, his tone pleading with Barry to tell him the truth. Barry shook his head, a few tears breaking free and running down his face. The salt burned the cut on his cheek when the tears ran into it.

"I already told you what happened."

"Barry, I can help. Just tell me what happened." Len felt like he was begging, but at the moment he didn't care. Barry's well-being was on the line. He could get over his own ego enough to allow himself to plead. Barry pulled away from Len, reaching back and pulling his cowl back into place. He turned and sped off, leaving Len in a blast of air. Len sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. This was a mess. He turned and left through the back door. If a diamond and emerald necklace went missing that night, well, nobody made too much of a fuss about it.

~x~x~x~

Over the next week, Len carried out some surveillance. He found out where Barry was living and watched the apartment. He called the landlord, pretending he was a bill collector who needed the name of the other occupant. Now, he was seated at the dining table in the small apartment Lisa, Mick, and he were using as a safe-house. Lisa and Mick had gone out to a bar, a perfect place to hustle some drunk idiots, and weren't due back for a while. He picked up his phone and dialed a familiar number. On the third ring, the phone was answered.

"Hello?" came a tired voice. Len spoke briskly, commanding tone in his voice.

"Piper. I need everything you can find on a Tyler Moss."

"Cold? Do you know what time it is?" Len growled in impatience.

" _Now_ , Hartley!"

"Fine, fine." the younger man grumbled. "Are you going to tell me what this is for?"

"No." Len hung up the phone.

~x~x~x~

Barry had been going non-stop since his encounter with Len. He hadn't heard anything else from the criminal since that night. He felt like he was being watched sometimes, but didn't know if that was Len or his overactive imagination. He had been working so hard and long that he hadn't talked to Joe or any of his friends in a non-work capacity all week long. Tyler had mostly left him alone, too, only knocking him around a couple of times. The tenuous balance he had achieved all week came crashing down when Joe finally cornered him in the Cortex at S.T.A.R. Labs. Cisco and Caitlin had gone out to grab some take-out for them to eat while waiting for someone to need the Flash. Joe walked in, seemingly unsure of how to begin.

"Barry, can I talk to you?" he asked. Barry turned from the computer he was looking at and smiled.

"Sure. What is it?"

"Last week. You told me you got those injuries you came in with from Flash business you had to take care of before work." Barry stiffened slightly, Joe not noticing.

"Yeah, what about it?" Joe sighed.

"I talked to Caitlin that night." _Shit_. Barry thought.

"Yeah?" he asked. Joe's expression looked pained. He always hated it when he found out that one of his kids had lied to him.

"She said you didn't have Flash business that morning. She said the suit never left the Cortex. Why did you lie, Barry? What really happened." Barry hesitated for a moment, looking down at the floor. He needed to gather his thoughts.

"I didn't lie." he said. "On the way to work, I heard a woman scream. A couple of bikers were attacking her in an alley. I stepped in and got hurt. She got away. I know I shouldn't have done anything without the Flash suit, but I had to act. Luckily, it worked out for the most part." It sounded flimsy to his own ears, but he went with it. Joe didn't look like he was completely buying the story, but he didn't say anything further on the matter and let the subject drop. Barry was thankful, but had a bad feeling in his gut. His carefully crafted fantasy that everything was alright was beginning to fray at the edges. He just hoped Len didn't resurface and talk to Joe, not that the detective would listen.

~x~x~x~

A few days later found Len planning a way to serendipitously run into Barry when his phone rang. He quickly answered it.

"What?" he asked sternly. The voice on the other end sounded irritated and Len's shortness, but excited about something else.

"It's me." he said.

"Piper. What do you have?" Len asked, more alert than he was a moment ago. He was listening intently for the other man to continue.

"You won't _believe_ what I found."


	3. Chapter 3

"Tell me, Hartley." Len ordered.

"Well, this guy doesn't have an official record, but I hacked into the Keystone Police Department's system. In 2008, Moss' then boyfriend, Jared Sims, disappeared. His body was later found in the trunk of Moss' car, which he had reported stolen, after it was set ablaze. Guess who the prime suspect in that murder case was." Hartley trailed off. The feeling of dread that had begun to creep into Len's core at the beginning of the conversation now flooded him.

"Moss." he answered, emotions warring inside him.

"Bingo." Hartley chirped. "That is, until his sister provided an alibi for him for the night that Sims went missing. Also, Moss didn't even report his boyfriend missing until a week later. They had been living together at the time. After the sister's vouching for him, Moss was dropped as the prime suspect. The case went cold, as it remains to this day. That brings us to 2011. A beaten and injured Barry Allen walked into the KPD and accused Moss of assault and assault with a deadly weapon." Len's breath caught in his throat. He had his suspicions, that's why he had Hartley look into Tyler Moss, but to have those suspicions confirmed like this was like ice in his veins.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Allen was twenty-two at the time and alleged that Moss had attacked him with a knife. He told the detectives that Moss had been abusing him since early in their relationship and he'd finally had enough. The detectives talked with Allen and he agreed to press charges. Moss was arrested. Unfortunately, after a call from the police station's holding cell to Allen's phone, he recanted his story. He told the officers that he had been angry at Moss because he was going to break up with him and came up with this story for revenge. He dropped the charges. The detectives could have arrested Allen for filing a false report, but they didn't. Both detectives on the case believed that Allen had been telling the truth the first time and that Moss had gotten to him and threatened him or his family causing him to drop the charges. Both were angry that Moss was even allowed a chance to contact Allen, considering the nature of the charges."

"What about the recording?" Len asked insistently.

"What recording?" Hartley questioned, confused.

"All communications on holding cell phones are recorded. That should have provided proof that Moss got to Barry."

"Oh, that. Well, it's noted in the file that there was no recording because the mechanism that recorded conversations was broken on the phone he used. Nobody was supposed to be allowed to use that particular phone until it was fixed."

"Dammit!" Len swore. "Please tell me that whatever moron that allowed that to happen was fired."

"Hold on." Len could hear some tapping on the other end of the line as Hartley typed away on his computer. "Nope. He retired three years ago, though." Sometimes, Len really _hated_ police officers. Some of them were so incompetent. Moss should have _never_ been allowed to contact Barry. Not only did he cause Barry to put himself in danger by dropping the charges, he could have ruined his career as well. If those officers had arrested him for filing a false report... He would have never been able to get a job as a CSI.

"Boss?" Hartley asked, snapping Len out of his thoughts. It didn't sound like it was the first time he had called him, either. Len shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Sorry, what is it?"

"I'm assuming Allen's back with this douche bag?" he asked. Len just hummed in response. He wasn't going to let Hartley in on everything. Hartley continued, though, shocking Len to his core. "I guess it's going to be more challenging to prove that Allen's being abused now, what with him healing so quickly and all." he said as if he didn't just drop a bombshell on Len.

"What?!" Hartley scoffed.

" _Please_ , I've known Barry Allen was the Flash for a while now. It wasn't _that_ hard to figure out. I'm actually surprised more people don't know."

"Not a word. To anyone." Len growled.

"Of course." Hartley replied, offended that Len would think he would stoop so low.

"Thank you for the information, Piper." Hartley was quite surprised that Len was thanking him. He didn't usually. He stuttered out a 'you're welcome' and hung up.

Len set his phone down and stared at it. He knew what he had to do now. He had to confront Barry about what was going on and convince him to go to the police. He just had to figure out _where_ he was going to talk to him.

~x~x~x~

Barry walked into his apartment after a rough day at work. He'd had to go to a crime scene that held the bodies of two murdered children. It hit everyone hard. It was always difficult when the crime involved kids. Suffice it to say, his day at work had _not_ been easy. That made it all the more difficult when he walked in and found Tyler in a mood. The man cornered Barry in the kitchen when he was getting a drink and pushed him up against the fridge. Barry tried to squirm away, but Tyler just grabbed him by the waist and pulled him against him. He moved his head when Tyler ducked his head to kiss him so the man instead attached his lips to Barry's neck. Barry tried to push Tyler away, but the grip on his hips tightened painfully.

"Tyler, stop!" Barry gasped out. Tyler didn't listen and he bit Barry's neck harshly in retaliation. "Tyler, I'm serious! Stop!" The other man stepped away and Barry sighed in relief, until Tyler grabbed his wrist and started dragging him to the bedroom. Barry resisted and tried to dig his heels into the ground, but Tyler manhandled him into the room and onto the bed. Tyler climbed on top of Barry and straddled his waist. He suddenly scowled and back-handed Barry across the face.

"Stop struggling!" he hissed and started wrestling Barry's shirt off.

"Tyler, I don't want to have sex right now! Please stop!" Tears began running down Barry's face when he realized struggling was useless. This was going to happen whether he wanted it to or not.

Barry sniffled as he rolled over in the bed. Tyler had gone out when he was finished with him and Barry wasn't sure where he was. He was sore, though, and just wanted to curl up under the covers and ignore the world. Unfortunately, there was a knock on the front door. Barry groaned, pulling himself up and throwing his boxer-briefs and a t-shirt on. He sniffed again and wiped the tears off his face as he made his way to the door.

~x~x~x~

Len had followed Barry home from work and parked his car across the street from the apartment building. He sat, waiting for his moment to talk to the younger man. He had been waiting a while when he finally saw Moss walking down the steps and to his car. Len waited while he drove off and waited until he was sure the man wasn't coming back. He was finally done waiting and got out of the car, walking up to the building. When he got to Barry's door, he knocked, holding his breath until he heard movement on the other side. When the door swung open, Len was dismayed at what he saw. Barry was disheveled and his eyes were bloodshot and red-rimmed. There was a painful looking bite mark on his pale neck and he was standing there in his underwear. It wasn't hard to figure out what had happened, especially since the smell of sex and sweat hung in the air. Len felt guilty now. He should have talked to Barry somewhere between the CCPD and the apartment. He shouldn't have waited. Barry's eyes had widened when he saw Len standing on the other side of the door and, when Len pulled himself from his thoughts, he was floundering for something to say.

"L-Len, what are you doing here?" he finally asked. Len smiled sadly and nodded to the rest of the apartment.

"May I?" he asked. Barry jumped and nodded, moving out of the way so Len could step through the door. Barry closed the door after Len entered and stood there staring at the man questioningly as he crossed his arms. Len blew out a sigh as he turned to face Barry. "We need to talk." he finally said.

"About what?" Barry asked. Len could tell he was getting nervous.

"Tyler." Barry's eyes widened slightly.

"T-there's nothing to talk about." he said, voice wavering. "I think you should go." Barry headed back to the door, but Len walked up to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Barry, I'm here to help." he said quietly. Barry darted his eyes away, unable to hold Len's gaze.

"I don't need help." the brunette insisted. Len huffed and stepped back. Barry thought he had gotten angry and was going to leave, but all he did was take his jacket off and begin to take his shirt off. Barry was at a loss, he didn't know what was going on.

"Len, what are you-" his throat closed and he was unable to get another word out when Len finally got his shirt off and his chest was revealed. Barry averted his eyes, feeling too much like he was intruding to look at the scarred torso of his once nemesis.

"Look at me, Barry." Len said firmly. Barry kept his eyes averted and could feel tears prickling his eyes. Len took a step closer and put a hand to Barry's cheek. "Look at me." he said gently. Barry finally turned green eyes to Len and studied the man's scarred skin. Tears finally broke free and ran down his face. Len brushed some away with his thumb before removing his hand. "I know you need help because I've been where you are." Len said softly. "I knew a man like Tyler, I lived with him. Lisa and I had no one. You've got _so many_ people who care about you, who would be there for you in a heartbeat if you just told them what was happening. When I was living with Lewis, I thought I didn't need help. I thought I had everything under control. I also thought that, as long as I was there, Lisa was safe. I was wrong. Lewis was a monster and _nothing_ would stop him from hurting who he wanted. My compliance didn't guarantee Lisa's safety and, as soon as I realized that, I got help. You may think that by staying with him, you're protecting whoever he's threatened, but you're not. You're only hurting yourself." Len paused, reaching out and grabbing Barry's hand in his, stroking his thumb over the back of it. "Now, go get dressed and I'll go with you to the police station. You can talk to your captain and press charges for assault and rape." Barry was so touched that Len was willing to walk into a police station for him. He didn't have any open cases against him, but still. When his mind caught up with what Len had said, his eyes turned sharply to Len's.

"R-rape? He didn't-" Len brought up a hand and wiped more tears from Barry's face.

"Did you say no?" he asked lightly.

"Yeah, but-" Len placed a finger against Barry's lips.

"No buts. He raped you." Barry looked like he was processing everything that happened for a moment before his face crumpled. He leaned forward into Len and the older man opened his arms and hugged Barry as he sobbed into his shoulder. Len winced in sympathy as heart-wrenching sobs shook the lithe body in his arms. He rubbed Barry's back and murmured soothing things into his hair. They stood there like that for several minutes. When Barry was finally able to get himself under control, he straightened up and wiped at his eyes.

"Sorry." he mumbled when he saw Len's wet skin. Len shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. C'mon, go get dressed. We need to leave before he gets back." Barry nodded and turned to head into the bedroom, but hesitated, turning back to Len.

"He knows I'm the Flash." he said morosely. He was worried Len would change his mind with that information, thinking that the situation was too difficult. Len sighed.

"How did that happen?" he asked.

"He put it together. He noticed how fast I healed after he would hit me. I couldn't hide it for long." Len huffed out a breath, but nodded.

"This complicates things, but we'll figure it out. Let's go to the CCPD first, then we'll talk to Team Flash." Barry felt relief flood him that Len wasn't going to abandon him after giving him hope. He looked at the clock on the wall.

"Captain Singh should still be in his office." Len smiled at Barry and began pulling on his shirt.


	4. Chapter 4

So, I fudged with the timeline a bit. If Wally was going to be in this, I wanted him to know about Barry being the Flash, but this doesn't take place far enough into season 2 for that to have happened. But, for some reason, even though none of them know about Wally yet, they've rescued Jessie already... Lol Anyway, this chapter is by far the longest I've written. Hope you guys enjoy!

~x~x~x~

Barry and Len walked into the police station and made their way to Captain Singh's office. Barry was genuinely surprised that nobody seemed to notice Len. Singh's door was closed, so Barry tentatively knocked.

"Come in." came the muffled voice from behind the door. Barry took a deep breath and felt Len place a hand on his back, a reassuring move that Barry was eternally grateful for. He reached out and turned the knob, opening the door. Singh looked up from the file he was going over and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw Barry. "Allen?" Len entered the office behind Barry and closed the door. Singh spluttered for a moment before he was able to get control of his speech again. "Leonard Snart?! What's going on here?"

"Captain, Len's here...for moral support, I guess?" Barry shrugged, glancing at Len for a second before taking a seat in front of the desk.

"Len? I didn't know the two of you were on a nickname basis." Singh said, astonished. Barry winced.

"It's...complicated." he said. Singh nodded, mulling the situation over.

"So, what did you need?" he asked after a moment of quiet. Barry shifted in his seat and looked over at Len, who nodded.

"I need to report something." he hesitated for a moment. "Um, I need to report an assault and rape." his voice became quieter as he spoke. Singh had to lean forward to catch everything that he said. As soon as the words were out of Barry's mouth, Singh's brows furrowed in concern.

"Do you know the victim?" he asked. Barry looked up, face full of discomfort and sorrow. Singh was taken aback by the intensity of the emotions swirling in Barry's eyes.

"Yeah, it's, um, me." he whispered. Singh's brows rose and his mouth dropped open slightly.

"What happened?" Barry looked down again and stared fidgeting with his hands. This was hard.

"My boyfriend, he hits me. He's been doing it since college. We split up after college, but he moved to Central a few months ago. And, h-he has sex with me, even when I say no." Still refusing to look up, Barry swallowed around the lump in his throat. Seeing his distress, Len reached over and rested his hand on top of Barry's still fidgeting ones, stilling his movements. Barry flicked his eyes up to Len and gave a small smile.

"Okay. I'll start on the paperwork now. This is a brave step you're taking. I just wish you had told somebody sooner." Singh said.

"There's more." Barry hesitated. "After the particle accelerator explosion, I- I-" Singh gave a self-satisfied smirk as Barry stuttered.

"Became the Flash." he finished for him. Barry's eyes nearly bugged out of his head and Len smirked in amusement.

"Wha- How-" Singh rolled his eyes.

"Barry, I became a police captain for a reason. I _was_ a detective. It wasn't too terribly difficult to figure out. I think the biggest clue was that the Flash first appeared right after you woke up from your coma." It took Barry a moment to get his thoughts back online. After he did, he had to admit Singh was right. That was a pretty big clue.

"I guess now wouldn't be the appropriate time to let you know that Hartley knows who you are, too." Len chimed in, _un_ helpfully. Barry groaned and buried his face in his hands while Singh shot an amused look at Len. When Barry lifted his head again, Singh caught his eye.

"So, I'm assuming you were about to tell me that there's no documentation of the abuse because you heal too quickly."

"Yeah. I know it doesn't exactly make for a good case and I can't exactly tell everyone who I am, but-" Singh cut Barry off.

"Barry, we'll figure it out. Leave that part to me and the DA." Barry nodded.

"He knows I'm the Flash, too, so we have to figure that part out at S.T.A.R. Labs before he gets brought in."

"Alright. I'll start on the case, but I'll stall the arrest. First thing's first, though, and I know this isn't easy to talk about, but I need to know. When was the last time you slept together with you refusing?" Barry looked back down at his hands.

"Earlier today." he said quietly.

"Did he leave any collectible evidence?" Barry glanced up at Singh and nodded. "Then head to the hospital before you go to S.T.A.R. Labs. Ask them to do a rape kit. I know there likely won't be any trauma, but at least they can collect evidence and have it sent to our crime lab. We'll run the DNA and get a warrant for his DNA to compare the two."

"Okay." Barry whispered, standing. Len and Singh also stood and all three moved toward the door. After Barry exited, Singh stopped Len, who quirked and eyebrow. The police captain held out his hand and Len took it, shaking it.

"Thank you for helping him." he said sincerely.

"Of course." Len responded.

"Stay out of trouble and you can continue helping him. You just have to decide if he's worth it or not." Singh continued sagely. Len nodded and walked out of the office. When he caught up with Barry, they continued out of the CCPD and got in Len's car, headed for the hospital.

"What did Singh say to you?" Barry asked once they were on the road.

"Just thanked me for helping." Len responded. He wasn't going to tell Barry _everything_ Singh had said. That was something Len was still trying to figure out. He hadn't questioned _why_ he was helping Barry. He just knew, in his heart, that it was the right thing to do. Barry was so innocent, so pure. He didn't deserve any of this. And, Len wouldn't stop until everything was put right. If he didn't think Barry would be disappointed in him, he would just kill Moss and be done with it. But, he knew that wouldn't be what Barry wanted. The kid had had so many choices taken away from him in this situation, Len wasn't going to be responsible for taking yet another one away. Len was pulled from his thoughts by Barry's soft voice.

"Thank you."

"What?" Len asked, confused. Barry smiled slightly.

"Thank you, for helping. For everything you're doing. You didn't have to, you could have just left me to deal with Tyler on my own. So, thank you."

"You're right." Len started, causing Barry to look over at him. "I didn't have to. I _wanted_ to." In a bold move, Barry reached over to where Len's hand was resting on his arm rest and covered it with his own. He looked down, shyly, when Len glanced over, but didn't remove his hand.

When they arrived at the hospital, Barry started wringing his hands, a nervous gesture he sometimes did. Len led Barry into the hospital with a hand at the small of his back. They approached the counter and a kind looking nurse glanced up at them and smiled brightly.

"How can I help you?" she asked. Barry struggled for a moment to get his voice to work. When nothing came out, he looked over at Len, helplessly. Len cleared his throat and did the talking for him.

"We were sent over by a captain at the CCPD. He needs a rape kit done." The nurse's smile instantly fell and she became all business.

"I am so sorry." she started, standing from her chair. "Follow me. I'll get you into a room immediately." Barry started following the nurse, but Len hesitated. When Barry turned to see why the other man wasn't following them, Len smiled gently.

"Do you want me to go back with you? I know this is private so it's perfectly fine if you want me to stay out here." Barry thought for a moment before he reached a hand out.

"I- I want you to come back with me. I don't want to do this alone." he said as Len took the offered hand. "I'm scared." he whispered once the older man was right beside him. Len stroked the back of Barry's hand with his thumb.

"There's nothing to be afraid of." he said gently.

~x~x~x~

Once the rape kit was finished and they were waiting for a nurse to tell them they could leave, Barry shot a quick text to Cisco telling him to have everyone gather at S.T.A.R. Labs. When they were finally told they could leave, after Barry had signed the necessary paperwork, they headed there themselves. When they arrived, everyone was waiting for them in the Cortex. Eyes widened and a couple of people even gasped when Barry walked in with Len. Joe, ever the protective father figure, stalked toward them causing Barry to move slightly and put himself between his foster father and Len.

"What the hell is he doing here?" he asked angrily, pointing at Len. Barry put his hands up in a placating manner.

"Joe, he's been helping me." Joe looked at his son incredulously.

"Barry, you can't trust him! Remember Ferris Air?" he said. Len winced slightly at the reminder of his betrayal.

"This isn't like that Joe. I _do_ trust him." Clearly, he wasn't going to get through to Barry, so Joe turned his attention to Len.

"Snart, I swear, if you hurt him, they'll never find your body." he threatened. Unable to resist, Len smirked.

"That's awfully upstanding of you, Detective." Barry rolled his eyes at Len's antics, but Joe was infuriated. He surged forward and grabbed the front of Len's shirt. Barry, still caught in the middle, started to push Joe away.

"Hey! Joe, stop!" he said, untangling Joe's hand from Len's shirt. When Joe finally raised his hands and stepped away, Barry took a sigh of relief. Turning to Len, he began muttering.

"Did you _have_ to say that?" he asked, exasperated. Len just shrugged his shoulders. Baiting Detective West was fun, but Len did feel bad that Barry got caught in the middle. He kind of regretted speaking up now.

"Sorry." he said quietly. From across the room, Cisco spoke up loudly.

"Whoa! Did _Captain Cold_ just apologize?!" he asked, amazed. Len scowled at him, but didn't say anything. Some of the people in the room scoffed and others giggled at Cisco. Barry looked around at his friends. Everyone was there, Cisco, Caitlin, Joe, Iris, Harry, and even Jesse. Telling his friends and family what had been going on, and that he'd been lying to them, was going to be challenging. This had to be ten times worse than telling Singh had been. Taking a deep breath, Barry steeled himself to finally tell them the truth.

"So, I have something I need to tell you guys." he said. Sensing his anxiety, Len stepped closer and put a hand on his back, which had Joe raising his brows. "You guys know Tyler, right?"

"Uh, who?" Harry asked, confused. Caitlin answered his question for him.

"Barry's boyfriend. They live together."

"Ah, yeah, I don't keep up with all of your romantic lives." he said, slightly snotty. Cisco turned to him.

"Okay, can you _not_ be a dick?" he asked sarcastically. Harry just scowled.

"Anyway, Tyler and I met in college. Not long after we started dating-" Barry's voice cracked and he had to stop for a moment. He felt Len's hand moving in small circles on his back. It was very comforting. He cleared his throat and began again. "He would hit me." Iris gasped and covered her mouth with a hand. Everyone in the room had varying looks of horror on their faces. "It started small. I made him angry one day and he slapped me. But, it got worse. One night, a couple of years into our relationship, he attacked me with a knife. I thought I was going to die that night. I had had enough, so I went to the Keystone Police Department and pressed charges. They arrested him that night. While he was still being held at the station, waiting for them to file the charges, he called me. He told me that he had killed his last boyfriend and that he would make me watch while he killed Joe and Iris if I didn't drop the charges and tell the detectives that I had lied." Barry had to break off as his throat constricted. Tears were streaming down his face and, as he looked around, he saw that both Iris and Caitlin were crying. "He said he would keep me in his basement and there wouldn't be anyone left to protect me. I _couldn't_ let him hurt you." he said, making eye contact with Joe and Iris. "I _wouldn't_. I recanted my story and they released him. Things went back to the way they were before, but he seemed angrier after that, easier to set off. When we graduated, he wanted to stay in Keystone and I was planning to come back to Central. He wanted me to stay with him and tried to make me, but I convinced him that people would get suspicious. It was no secret that I planned to join the CCPD and it would look weird if I suddenly decided to stay in Keystone. He let me go. I was _so_ grateful to get away and put him out of my mind for the following years. But, he showed up without warning a few months ago. He reminded me of his threat and demanded I move in with him. And, now, I didn't just have Joe and Iris to worry about. I had _all_ of you. I wasn't going to let him hurt any of you because of me. It was Len who talked me into trying to press charges again." Barry glanced at Len with an appreciative smile. "I wasn't going to. He figured out what was going on and we had a talk earlier. We've already been to the police station and talked with Singh. But, I needed to talk to you guys. There's a problem. Tyler found out I was the Flash." There was a collective gasp in the room.

"How?" Cisco asked. Barry grimaced.

"He noticed how quickly I would heal after he injured me. Broken bones, cuts, bruises, they would all be gone by the next morning. He put two and two together and made sure I knew he wouldn't hesitate to use it against me if I turned him in." Barry brought a hand up and wiped at his eyes. "So, I need you guys to figure out a way that he can be arrested _without_ compromising my identity." Cisco nodded his head with conviction.

"Harry! C'mon, we're going to brain storm." He looked up at Barry. "We got you, dude." Harry nodded in affirmation and followed Cisco out of the room. Iris rushed over to Barry and enveloped him in a hug. She sobbed into his shoulder and Joe came up behind her, wrapping his arms around both his kids. Len took a few steps back, making room for the family hug. He felt a little like an intruder on the tender moment. Iris eventually pulled herself back together and she and Joe both stepped back. Joe eyed Len and moved over to him, Barry looking on warily should he need to intervene. The detective surprised everybody by sticking his hand out, Len taking it carefully.

"I still don't like you, but thank you for helping my boy. I'll let you live, _for now_." Len smirked in amusement.

"How gracious of you." he snarked. Barry felt a weight lift off his shoulders at Joe's begrudging acceptance of Len. For some reason, it was really important to him. "Alright!" Len said, clapping his hands together. "What's going to happen now that we've got the geek squad on the case is we're going to pack up some of your things and you're moving in with me for now." Barry was taken by surprise at this turn of events.

"Like, in a safe-house?" he asked. Len rolled his eyes and shot Barry a look.

"No, Scarlet. I've got a legitimate apartment, you know." Barry blushed slightly.

"Oh." he said. Joe looked at Len, brows furrowed.

"Why go with you, though? He can stay with me." Len sighed dramatically.

"Because Tyler knows where you live. He probably knows where all of you live. And, those are going to be the first places he looks when he realizes Barry's gone." Joe had to admit, Len had him there. "So, I'm going to call Mick and we're going to head to your place and make sure Tyler's not there. If he's not, we'll pack up a few things and head to my apartment."

"Wait." Joe said, putting a hand up. "I trust Rory even less than I trust you. Do you _have_ to involve him?" Len looked slightly miffed that Joe disrespected his partner, but, surprisingly, it was Barry who spoke up.

"Len trusts Mick and I trust Len, Joe. It'll be fine." Joe grumbled, frustrated, but allowed Len to go make the phone call.

~x~x~x~

When Len and Barry pulled up outside the apartment that Barry and Tyler shared, Mick was sitting in his car across the street. Before anyone got out, Len turned to Barry.

"Do you see his car?" Barry studied all the cars parked around the building and shook his head.

"No."

"Good." Len got out of the car and walked over to Mick's, Barry following his lead. Mick rolled down the window to speak with his partner. "You stay here. The kid and I are going to go up and pack some things. Keep a lookout and call me if he shows up. You got the mugshot?" Mick nodded.

"Got it. I'll keep my eyes peeled. You two hurry up, though. I got a bad feeling about this." he said warily. Len nodded and headed across the street with Barry in tow.

Once they arrived to the apartment, Len took the keys from Barry and very quietly opened the door. He held up a hand for Barry to stay in the hall and looked around the apartment cautiously, taking a few steps inside. When he didn't see or hear anyone, he motioned for Barry to come in. Barry sighed as he closed the door.

"Thank you again, Len. I couldn't have done any of this without you." he said. Len stepped closer and placed his hand against Barry's neck, rubbing his jaw with his thumb. For a split second, Barry was unable to breathe. For some reason, he thought Len was going to kiss him. That certainly made a pleasant feeling course through his body and it shocked him. Up until now, he hadn't thought of Len like that. He'd been so concerned with his life unraveling that he hadn't thought that Len might see him in a romantic light. Now, he hoped he did. Barry felt disappointed when Len removed his hand and looked away.

"I- I'll go pack now." he said, trying to fill the silence and make an escape. Barry swore in his head as he walked into the bedroom to begin getting his things together.

Len was cursing himself as well as Barry walked away. He had been about to kiss the boy and was so angry at himself for almost taking advantage of his fragile emotional state. He couldn't do that to him. He couldn't confuse him further with these feelings that had begun blooming in his chest. It wasn't the time. Len was violently ripped from his thoughts when the bedroom door slammed and he heard Barry yell. He rushed to the door, pulling his handgun from his waistband on the way. Len threw the door open and was stopped cold at the sight that greeted him. Moss was here. He was _here_ and Len hadn't known. Len aimed his gun at the other man's head as he took in the scene. Moss had an arm wrapped tightly around Barry's neck and his own gun was harshly shoved against the kid's temple. Barry was pulling against the arm around his neck, trying to breathe or get loose, maybe both. Fear filled his eyes as he looked at Len, helpless to do anything.

"Put your gun down!" Moss ordered. Len pulled his eyes up to the other man's and scowled. Moss laughed. "He's fast, but what do you want to bet he can't outrun a bullet fired at point blank range?" Anger flared hot in Len's chest as terror gripped his heart. He didn't know enough about Moss to judge whether or not he would actually pull that trigger. Len disarmed the gun and raised his hand as he slowly set it on the floor.

"Alright, it's down." he said in his most soothing tone of voice. "Why don't you put your gun down and we can talk?" Barry choked as the arm around his neck tightened.

"Not a chance. This is between me and my boyfriend. You can leave now." Barry looked scared for a moment that Len was actually going to leave him alone with this psycho.

"No. I'm not leaving without Barry." he said calmly. Moss laughed again. This guy was a crackpot!

"You think I'm stupid?!" he suddenly yelled. "You have your friends at the police station, well, I have friends, too." he said into Barry's hair. "You know what my friend at the hospital told me? He said my boyfriend had gone in for a rape kit. Now, imagine my surprise at that because, as far as I know, my boyfriend hadn't been attacked." Barry winced as he realized the conclusion that the other man had drawn. "You think you can just _leave_ me?" he growled through gritted teeth, pushing the gun further against Barry's head.

"L-look, Tyler, I won't leave y-you, okay? We can go back to normal. _Please_. Just let me go." Len's chest ached at the fear in Barry's shaking voice.

"Stop lying!" Moss yelled, causing Barry to jump and the tears that had been filling his eyes to spill down his cheeks. "You're such a whore!" he spat. "You don't think I know you're going to run away with _him_?" he asked, nodding his head in Len's direction.

"I won't! I promise, I'll stay with you! I love you, Tyler!" Barry had to force the last part out. It didn't sound very convincing and Moss obviously didn't buy it.

"Enough! You!" he said, turning his gun on Len. "Leave, now. Or I'll kill you." he threatened. When Len didn't move an inch, Barry began pleading with him, quietly, tears running faster down his face.

"Len, just go! Leave! I'll be fine!" Len stood his ground.

"I'm _not_ leaving you." he said with finality. Moss cocked the gun and Len made a split-second decision. He _had_ to make his move. He rushed forward and grabbed the hand that held the gun, trying desperately to wrestle it from the other man. Barry had gotten released in the scuffle and was about to help Len when a resounding _bang_ made his blood run cold. Len stumbled back, away from Moss, who was still holding the gun. He fell to the ground, holding his stomach as blood began pouring from his body.

"Len!" Barry screamed. He was about to run to the man's side when he saw Tyler move out the corner of his eye. He rushed over to the man and landed a punch on his jaw, using just enough speed to knock him out. Barry ran back to Len and his eyes widened. There was blood _everywhere_. He moved Len's hand away and grabbed a shirt from the floor, using it to put pressure on the wound. Len grunted, gritting his teeth in pain.

"I'm fine, Scarlet." he gasped out. Barry was sobbing now as he kept pressure on Len's stomach. He looked up sharply when the front door opened.

~x~x~x~

Mick looked at his watch and sighed, getting out of his car. What was taking them so long? Surely it didn't take _this_ long to throw a few things in a bag. He pulled his phone out and was about to call Len when he heard a loud _bang_ echo from in the building. His heart nearly stopped. That was a gunshot. Mick darted across the street and ran into the building. When he reached the right apartment, he rushed in and stopped. His partner was laying on the ground, blood beginning to pool under him, with the kid distraught and crying over him. It looked like he was trying to stop the bleeding. Tyler Moss was laying further in the bedroom, out cold. Barry looked at Mick, seeming to come to an instantaneous decision.

"Mick!" he called, sniffing. "Take Tyler to S.T.A.R. Labs. Tell Cisco to lock him up in the Pipeline. I'll take Len to the hospital." Mick nodded and started to move into the bedroom. Barry took his hands off of the shirt he was using to put pressure on Len's wound and took the other man's hand, placing it securely over the shirt. He then stood, picking Len up bridal style. Len grimaced and hissed in pain, but didn't make any other noises. Mick was about to bend over and pick up the asshole on the floor when he felt a rush of air and heard a crackle. He looked over to where Barry and Len had been a moment ago. They were gone.

"Well, I'll be dammed." Mick muttered, realization dawning on him.

~x~x~x~

So, Barry being the Flash is the worst kept secret in Central City. XP


	5. Chapter 5

Barry came to a stop in the alley beside the hospital, running in at normal human speed. Looking down, he noticed that Len had passed out at some point on their trip over. As soon as he entered the E.R., Barry began yelling for help.

"Somebody, I need help!" The same nurse from before was still behind the desk. She stood as soon as she saw Barry, rushing over.

"I need a gurney!" she called over her shoulder. She stopped in front of Barry and Len. "What happened?" she asked urgently.

"He was shot in the stomach." Barry responded. A couple of other nurses wheeled a gurney over to them and Barry gently set Len down on it. The nurse from behind the desk looked over at the other two.

"It's a GSW. Take him to the back and notify the blood bank." They nodded and rushed off. Barry looked at the nurse anxiously. She pulled out a small notepad from her pocket and a pen. "Alright, I'm not going to make you do paperwork right now, but I need to know a few things." Barry nodded. "What's his name and age?" she asked, pen poised to write.

"Leonard Snart. He's forty-three." he answered right away.

"Do you know his blood type or if he has any allergies?"

"N-no. I don't know." Barry said shaking his head. He felt bad that he couldn't be more help, but those were questions Lisa would have to answer.

"It's okay." the nurse reassured. "We can find out his blood type, it'll just take a bit longer. Does he have any family you need us to contact?"

"No, his sister should find out soon. She'll be here as soon as she does." At the nurse's confused look, Barry explained. "His friend was there. He knows how to get in touch with her, I don't." The nurse nodded and put her notepad away.

"I'm going to need you to stay out here for now. He should be taken to surgery soon and, as soon as he is, I'll come get you and take you to the waiting room. I promise. But, you're going to need to be patient for now. Okay?" Barry nodded and the nurse smiled briefly, walking back in the direction they had taken Len. Barry sighed deeply and moved to sit in one of the plastic chairs that were scattered around the room. He looked down at his hands and his whole body started shaking. They were covered in blood. He looked down at his shirt and noticed it was the same. _Len's_ blood was all over him. As everything caught up with him, Barry buried his face in his hands and started crying, his whole body trembling with the force of his sobs. This was all his fault.

Fifteen minutes had passed and Barry still hadn't pulled himself together. A group of people walked in and up to the nurse's station.

"Hey, my brother's been brought here. He was shot." came a familiar female voice. Barry lifted his head and sniffed.

"Lisa?" he said. The group, who turned out to be Cisco, Caitlin, Iris, and Joe, plus Mick and Lisa, turned. He stood as they approached him. Joe took in his appearance and pulled his foster son into a tight hug.

"How you holding up, Barr?" he murmured. Barry gave a watery smile as he pulled away.

"I'll be fine. It's Len I'm worried about." Joe nodded and Cisco stepped closer.

"What happened?" he asked. They all looked at him, the same question in their eyes. Barry wiped at his face and answered.

"Tyler was there. He was hiding in the bedroom, behind the door. Len stayed in the living room while I went to the bedroom to pack. Tyler ambushed me. I didn't have a chance to react. He had a gun. Len tried to talk him down, but Tyler wasn't having it. He kept telling Len to leave, that the situation was between me and him. Len refused. When Tyler pointed the gun at him instead of me, Len rushed him. They wrestled for the gun and it went off." By the time he was finished with his explanation, a few more tears had streaked down his face. Everyone was silent for a moment before Lisa surprised them all be stepping forward and pulling Barry into a hug. "I'm sorry, Lisa. I tried to get him to leave."

"Hey, this isn't your fault. There was no way in hell my idiot brother was going to leave you behind. He may be a jerk, but when he cares about someone, he does everything in his power to protect them." She rubbed his back a couple of times before moving back. "I know you, though, right? Cisco's friend from _Jitters_." Barry nodded.

"Yeah." Lisa looked him up and down, furrowing her brows before grabbing his hand.

"Come with me. You're a mess, sweetie." She started tugging Barry toward the hall, but Cisco stopped them before they got too far.

"Oh yeah." He pulled a S.T.A.R. Labs sweatshirt out of his bag. "Mick said you might need this." he said, handing the shirt over. Barry took it, smiling in gratitude and Lisa continued pulling him away from his friends. They headed down the hall and into the bathroom.

"Um, Lisa, this is the men's room." Barry stated the obvious, sounding concerned as Lisa barged in before him.

"So?" she asked over her shoulder. When they reached the sink, Lisa dropped Barry's hand and grabbed some paper towels, wetting them at the sink. She turned to her companion and started wiping at his face. "Oh, honey, you've got blood all over your face." Barry pulled away for a moment and looked at himself in the mirror. She was right, he looked awful.

"I, uh, had my face in my hands. I guess I smeared the blood on that way." Lisa gently grabbed his chin and turned his face back toward her so she could finish cleaning it.

"You know," she murmured. "Lenny's a fighter. And, he doesn't ever do anything he doesn't want to do. I know you're probably still beating yourself up, but everything's going to be okay." Barry laughed humorlessly.

"You shouldn't be the one comforting me. Len's your brother."

"But, you like him. That's why this is so hard for you." she stated matter-of-factly. Barry turned crimson and started trying to deny it.

"N-no, I don't." Lisa rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Don't even try it. You're too easy to read, kid." Barry looked down.

"Don't tell anybody." he said in a small voice.

"I won't. Now, wash your hands and change your shirt." she ordered. While Barry was doing just that, he asked Lisa a question that had been on his mind since she arrived.

"How are you so calm?" She looked startled for a moment before she smiled softly at him.

"I'm just doing what Lenny taught me. I'm worried, but I _can't_ fall apart. I have to be strong. For him." Barry thought about that for a moment while he removed his bloody shirt. Before he was able to put his new shirt on, the door swung open and a man walked in. He stopped short when he saw Lisa and Barry. Lisa sneered at him.

"You got a problem?" she asked, hand going to her hip. The man gulped and backed out of the bathroom. Barry stood there for a moment, shirt raised to put on, before breaking out into uncontrollable laughter. Lisa smiled at him as he doubled over, giggling. When he was able to breathe again, he put his shirt on and Lisa wrapped her arm around his.

"Let's go. But, remember, everything will be alright. Lenny's too stubborn to die." They left the bathroom and went back to the E.R. waiting room. When they got there, the only person from their group that was still there was Joe.

"Where did everybody go?" Barry asked.

"A nurse came out looking for you. They've taken Snart into surgery. We can go up to that waiting room now."

"Okay. Did she say anything about how he was?" he questioned with a sense of urgency. Joe shook his head.

"Just that they were able to stabilize him." Barry nodded and the three headed up to the waiting room for the surgical suite Len had been taken to.

When they arrived to the room, Barry noticed that their group were the only people there. He sat down in the chair beside Cisco, Lisa sitting beside him, and prepared to wait until the doctor came to get them. Cisco looked over at him, a small smile on his face.

"I think Harry and I figured out a way to keep your identity a secret." he said excitedly. Barry's brows raised.

"Really?" he asked. "How?"

"What if we used a magnetic disruption to essentially wipe his memory from the past few months?" A thoughtful look crossed Barry's face.

"Like wiping a computer hard drive?" he asked.

"Exactly!" Cisco said, pointing. "Except, instead of wiping the whole thing, we'll just be wiping the most recent memories. He'll still remember you, but he won't remember coming to Central City, if we do this right." Barry smiled.

"That's perfect, Cisco." he said. Lisa was listening to the conversation with furrowed brows, frowning in confusion.

"What's all this about a secret identity?" she asked. Cisco gasped and slapped a hand across his mouth.

"Oh shit! I forgot she doesn't know!" he exclaimed. Lisa scowled at being kept out of the loop.

"Well, to be fair, she's the only one in this room that doesn't know." Barry said, shrugging.

"What don't I know?" Lisa demanded, sitting up straighter, trying to look more intimidating.

"I, uh, I'm kind of the Flash." he said quietly. Lisa stared for a moment before she burst into laughter. Barry and Cisco looked at each other, the rest of the group looking questioningly at Lisa. By the time she calmed down, tears of mirth were streaking down her face. She took a minute to catch her breath.

"Only Lenny." she said, big smile on her face. Barry smiled back, chuckling slightly.

"Told ya he was obsessed." Mick called over, guessing what they were talking about. Barry blushed and Lisa smirked at her friend. As realization slowly dawned on her, she scowled at Barry again.

"Wait. How does _Mick_ know?" she asked. Barry seemed to become shy, looking down at his fidgeting hands.

"I may have flashed off in front of him after Len got shot." he mumbled. A warm smile full of affection took over her face as she looked at the kid her brother was so taken with. Now, she understood why.

"Getting help for him was more important than your secret." she stated softly. Barry looked up.

"Of course it was." he said as if there wasn't another option. This kid was so genuine. Lisa put her hand on his shoulder and rubbed slightly.

"Thank you." she said. Barry looked confused, wondering why she was thanking him, but didn't say anything. The room dropped into silence, the air filled with anticipation.

It had been three hours when a doctor finally walked into the room. He had blood stains all over his scrubs and lab coat. Everyone was immediately on alert, Barry and Lisa standing and approaching the doctor. He greeted them with handshakes.

"I'm Doctor Willis." he said.

"How is he?" Barry asked urgently.

"He lost a lot of blood. The bullet hit a couple of arteries. He got a blood transfusion and we were able to stop all the bleeds. It was touch and go for a while, though. We're going to keep him in the ICU for a couple of days for observation, but he should be fine." Barry sighed and sagged with relief. It felt like the entire room was feeling the same. Lisa grabbed Barry's arm and held on to it.

"Can we see him?" she asked.

"We're still getting him transferred and he's still unconscious. I'll come and get you when you can go to his room. I'm going to ask that you visit three at a time, though. I don't want to crowd him with too many people." Barry and Lisa nodded. Doctor Willis looked at Barry. "It's a good thing you got him here when you did. He wouldn't have made it otherwise." With that, the doctor left the room. Lisa turned to Barry and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Thank you for saving my brother." she murmured. Barry sighed.

"He wouldn't have been in this situation in the first place if it weren't for me." he said sadly. Lisa pulled back and smacked him on the arm.

"Stop that! It is what it is." Everyone sat down once again and waited for Doctor Willis to come back. A few minutes into the wait, a familiar figure walked through the door. Barry sat up straight.

"Captain Singh?!" he asked, surprised. The captain smiled and walked over to him, crouching down so he was at eye level.

"Joe called me. How are you?" he asked. Barry shrugged.

"Fine, I guess. They say Len's going to be okay."

"That's good, I'm glad. I'm going to personally take both of your statements. Was there anyone else there when this happened?" he said gently. Barry wasn't used to this softness directed at him from the captain.

"Um, Mick came in after Len was shot."

"Alright." he turned his head toward the burly man. "I'll need to talk to you too." he said. Mick just grunted. Singh turned back to Barry. "Do you want me to take your statement now or do you want to wait a bit?" Barry thought for a moment, wringing his hands.

"Is it okay if we wait? I don't want to miss when the doctor comes back." Singh nodded.

"Of course." He patted Barry's knee and stood. "Call me when he's awake and ready to talk. I'll talk to all three of you then."

"Okay." Singh headed to the door, but paused before he left.

"Where's Moss?" he asked.

"S.T.A.R. Labs, locked safely in the Pipeline." Singh raised a brow.

"Do I want to know?" he asked. Barry shrugged.

"Plausible deniability?" Barry answered, voice making it more of a question. Singh sighed, but smiled.

"That's what I thought." he said, walking out of the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Aaargh! This chapter gave me SO much trouble! Hopefully you guys like it.

~x~x~x~

Barry walked nervously down the stark, white corridor. He, Lisa, and Mick were following the doctor to Len's room. They were in the ICU and came to a stop outside one of the rooms. The curtains were drawn across the windows that made up the wall by the door. The doctor turned to them and paused before opening the door.

"Now, he's probably still unconscious. He's on morphine, so he's going to be out of it for a few days. Keep that in mind." They all nodded and Doctor Willis opened the door to the room. Barry was the first one in. Len looked like he was sleeping. He had wires and IVs connecting him to different machines and his skin looked washed out against the crisp white of the sheets. After hesitating, Barry stepped forward slowly. When he reached the bed, he rested a hand gently against one of Len's. His hand was warm. Just that sensation was enough to put Barry's mind at ease. It was enough let him know that this was real, that Len was alive. Lisa came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Told ya he was too stubborn to die." she murmured. Mick snorted in amusement from the other side of the bed. They all sat down in chairs that had been placed around the bed and waited for Len to rouse.

Barry uncrossed his legs and sat forward in his chair when a groan came from the bed. Len squeezed his eyes tightly together before slowly opening them. He looked around the room for a moment before his blue eyes settled on Barry. A large, dopey smile spread across his face.

"Baaaarry!" he slurred. "How'd you get here so fast?" Then, he shocked everyone when he honest to God giggled. "Pun totally intended." he said when he quieted down. Lisa was grinning and Mick smirking. Barry couldn't do anything but stare. To think that the cold, calculating, always in control Captain Cold was acting so...so...high was short circuiting Barry's brain. Lisa laughed.

"I think you broke him, Lenny." Len tried his best to smirk like he usually did.

"He'll heal quickly." Barry sighed and finally broke out into a smile.

"Well, I'm glad everyone here knows _that_ secret already." That caught Len's attention.

"What secret?" he asked, as serious as he could pull off with unfocused eyes. "You keeping a secret from me?" Barry laughed.

"You already know!" Barry looked down with a smile then looked back up into Len's eyes. "I'm really glad you're okay." he said sincerely, grabbing the older man's hand. Len held onto Barry's hand just as tightly.

"I'm glad you're okay, too." he said, surprisingly coherent for the way he'd been reacting to the medicine he was on. He suddenly seemed to think of something. "Where's Asshole McDumbass?" he asked, completely serious. Barry started laughing again, tears coming to his eyes. Len raised a brow and looked at Mick.

"He's locked in the Pipeline until the geeks can mess with his brain." he answered. They talked for a while after that until Len fell asleep and the nurses kicked them out. They were all three headed down the hallway, planning to go grab some dinner before heading home, when Barry's phone started to ring. It was Captain Singh.

"Hi Captain." he greeted. Lisa and Mick listened quietly as Barry talked.

" _I know it's late, but is he awake yet?_ " the captain asked.

"He woke up for a bit, but he's kind of useless right now." he chuckled. "The doctor's have him on a high dose of morphine."

" _I see. Filing charges is going to have to wait until I have your statements._ "

"That's fine. It'll give Cisco time to work his magic. I'd say come by in a couple of days. The doctors should have him off strong painkillers by then."

" _Alright, sounds like a plan._ " Barry disconnected the call and put his phone back in his pocket. He looked over at Mick.

"Singh's going to drop by in a couple of days to take our statements." Mick grunted and nodded. They continued on to the restaurant in companionable silence.

~x~x~x~

The next day Barry headed straight to the hospital after work. He was excited to see Len again. He knew Lisa had been with him all day, but was still anxious to see him for himself. When he got to the hospital, he didn't stop, instead heading up to Len's room. Opening the door, Barry peeked his head in.

"Hey." he said, walking into the room. Len smiled a dopey smile up at him. Lisa had said he was still out of it thanks to the morphine. Speaking of... "Where's Lisa?" he asked. Len looked around the room as if just noticing his sister was gone. When he looked back at Barry, he shrugged his shoulders.

"Dunno." he said. Barry chuckled, shaking his head, and walked over to the bed. He stood over Len, smiling gently at him.

"How do you feel today?" he asked.

"Fine. I suspect that won't be the case when they take me off whatever they've got me on." Barry laughed.

"Yup, you're probably right." he said. He stood there talking to Len for a moment. The other man was more alert than the day before, but still a little fuzzy. Suddenly, a hand reached up and grabbed Barry around the back of the neck. Barry's eyes widened as the hand pulled him down and onto Len's waiting lips. Barry was stunned and his mind went blank as Len kissed him. It felt so good and made his heart pound in his chest. But, it wasn't right. Not right now. Barry placed his hands on Len's chest and gently pushed away. When Len opened his eyes, they were filled with hurt and disappointment. Barry sighed.

"I can't." he mumbled. Len looked away.

"You don't want to?"

"That's not it!" Barry answered quickly. "I'd feel too much like I was taking advantage of you." When Len looked at him curiously, Barry continued. "You're still on quite a bit of morphine for the pain. If you kiss me, I want it to be because you want to, not because your inhibitions are lowered. If you still want to after they take you off the morphine, I'll be more than happy to oblige." he said earnestly. Len smiled at him as his eyes started to droop. When Barry noticed, he gently stroked the side of the other man's face. "Sleep. I'll be right here." With that, he sat down in the chair beside the bed as Len fell asleep.

Barry had started to doze off when the door opening startled him awake. He blinked owlishly at it and watched Lisa come in. The woman smiled warmly at Barry and took the seat beside him.

"How is he?" she asked in a hushed tone. Barry looked at the man on the bed and smiled.

"Good. He's been asleep most of the time I've been here." he answered.

"The doctor did say he needed his rest." Lisa commented, glancing over at Barry. "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?" she asked. Barry immediately blushed, his entire face going crimson. He started stuttering, but was unable to get anything coherent out. Lisa grinned.

"Oooo, looks like I did miss something good." she teased. Barry looked down at his hands in his lap then back up to Lisa.

"He kissed me." he blurted out. Lisa's grin grew. She clapped her hands together quietly in excitement.

"Oh my goodness! Told you he liked you! What did you do?" Barry averted his eyes again.

"I made him stop." he mumbled. Lisa arched a brow and looked unimpressed.

"What now?" she asked.

"I just, I don't want him to regret it when he's off the morphine." he explained. Lisa's expression changed to one of sympathy.

"Oh, honey. He won't regret it. But, waiting is very noble of you. You really are a hero." Lisa laughed when Barry blushed bright red again.

~x~x~x~

By Len's third day in the hospital, he had been moved from the ICU to a normal room and the morphine had been reduced enough that he was clear-headed and able to give his statement to Singh. The captain gathered Mick and Barry at the hospital and took all three of their statements separately. As Singh was finishing up with Mick in another room, Cisco burst into Len's room an excited air about him.

"Dude, we did it!" he shouted animatedly. Barry shared a look with Len and turned back to Cisco.

"Did what?" he asked. Cisco's eyes seemed to light up.

"We erased all of Tyler's recent memories. Caitlin helped me in targeting the right area of the brain and Harry helped build the machine we needed. It worked. He doesn't remember coming to Central, but he still remembers you and everything before that. He no longer knows you're the Flash. They can arrest him now." A grin broke out on Barry's face and he rushed forward enveloping Cisco in a hug. His nightmare was almost over. He had the greatest friends in the world and, with their support, he had made it to the light at the end of the tunnel. Len smiled warmly at the two friends. He knew that Barry would have the backing he needed to overcome this obstacle in his life if he would only let his friends in. Barry pulled away from Cisco as the door opened and Mick and Singh walked in. Singh approached Barry, putting a notepad in his jacket pocket.

"I've got everything I need. Have you been in the apartment since the attack?" Singh asked him.

"No. I've been staying with Joe. Nobody's been in the apartment since the incident. I made sure to preserve the scene." Barry answered.

"Perfect. I'll send a CSI team over as soon as I get to the station." Singh turned to leave, but Cisco stopped him.

"Tyler's in the S.T.A.R. Labs van downstairs. He's ready to be arrested now." he said. Singh smiled at him, heading for the door.

"Thank you Mr. Ramon. I'll take care of it." With that, Captain Singh left the hospital, picking Tyler up on the way to transport the confused man to a holding cell, courtesy of the CCPD.

~x~x~x~

Cisco left not long after Singh, mentioning something about lunch with Caitlin. Barry and Mick were the only two people left in the room with Len when he left and Len was desperately hoping his partner would take his leave as well. He was itching to talk to Barry alone, but it didn't seem that Mick was getting the hint. The larger man had made himself comfortable in one of the chairs beside the bed, Barry taking the other. Barry and Mick were talking amongst themselves as Len just looked on in frustration. Finally, he spoke up.

"Mick, why don't you go check on Lisa?" he asked. He knew Lisa was okay, but he really wanted the other man to leave. Mick grinned at him.

"Nah, she's fine. She's hanging out with Shawna today, I think." He leaned back in his chair, getting more comfortable, all the while smirking at Len. Len figured he knew why he wanted him to leave and he was teasing him, trying to get on his nerves. That thought was confirmed when Mick looked at Barry.

"Red doesn't want me to leave, do you?" Barry turned to Mick looking like a deer caught in the headlights. His green eyes were wide and his mouth opened and closed several times with no sound coming out. He was looking back and forth between Mick and Len, not knowing what to say. Len scowled at his partner.

"It's fine, Scarlet. Mick, you can leave now." he stated bluntly. Mick smiled widely.

"Tell me why or I'm not goin' anywhere." he said smugly. Len glared. Finally, he spoke again.

"I want to talk to Barry. _Alone_." he growled out through gritted teeth. Mick chuckled and stood, walking to the door.

"Don't screw this up, Snart." he ordered, finally taking his leave. Len looked to Barry whose face had turned bright red at Mick's order. Len sighed and reached out a hand toward the younger man. Barry took the offered hand as he moved to sit on the bed beside him.

"We need to talk." Len said softly. Barry nodded, swallowing.

"Y-yeah, we do." he stuttered.

"Look, I know you're going through a lot right now. I don't remember much from the past couple of days, but I do remember kissing you." Barry's blush came back full force. "I wanted to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have and you had every right to push me away, so don't feel bad about that." By the time Len was done talking, Barry looked utterly confused. He was blinking at Len, brows furrowed. Finally, he laughed. He was unable to control himself and Len shot him a dark look. Barry shook his head, tears coming to his eyes. When he was able to speak again, he wiped at his eyes and sighed.

"You don't remember the rest of that conversation, do you?" he asked, huge smile covering his face. Len thought for a moment, but shrugged when he came up empty. "I told you that I didn't want to do anything then because I felt like I was taking advantage of you. _But_ , if you wanted to continue where we left off, I would be more than happy to." Barry had a nice, pink flush to his face that Len thought looked beautiful. He wanted to be hopeful about their situation, but nothing in his life had ever worked out right. So, instead, he did what he did best and tried to poke holes in it.

"What about Moss? You're just now leaving him." Barry gave a sad smile that tore at Len's heart.

"I haven't been in love with Tyler in years. I'm already over him. I'm ready to move on. And, don't think for a second that I don't know what you're doing." he ended firmly, pointing a finger in Len's face. Len raised his brows in surprise.

"Can you blame me? My life isn't easy. _This_ won't be easy." he said in a sombre tone. Barry scooted closer to him and leaned his face down into Len's.

"Nothing worth doing ever is." he whispered and leaned forward, closing his eyes. Barry's lips met Len's in a gentle kiss that rendered both men light-headed. Len reached up and laid his hand on Barry's cheek, caressing it. Barry's hand fisted in the hospital gown Len was wearing and he used it to tug the man further forward. A soft moan left Barry as the kiss became more passionate the longer it lasted. Len opened his mouth and licked at the seam of Barry's lips, the younger man immediately opening up. Their tongues dueled hotly in their mouths and explored the flavors of the other. When they finally pulled apart, Barry rested his forehead against Len's while they both breathed heavily, catching their breath. A small smile graced Barry's face and Len couldn't stop himself from running his thumb along his kiss reddened bottom lip. Len smiled back and pulled Barry into a hug, holding the lithe man against his body. Maybe this would work out after all.


	7. Chapter 7

"Will someone tell me what I'm here for?!" Tyler shouted at the two-way mirror as Singh and Joe looked on from the other room. Singh looked at Joe.

"You sure you can do this?" he asked. Joe nodded.

"This guy hurt Barry. Let's nail him to the wall." he ground out. They walked out of the room they were in and into the interrogation room that Tyler was in. All three took seats at the table, Joe and Singh on one side and Tyler on the other. Singh started.

"Do you really not know why you're here, Mr. Moss?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. Tyler huffed out a sigh.

"No, I don't. I don't even remember coming here! Last I knew, I was in Keystone!"

"So, you _don't_ remember coming to Central and moving in with Barry Allen?" Joe asked, quirking a brow. Tyler's mouth dropped open.

"What?! No! What's that bitch saying I did?!" It took everything in Joe to not reach across the table and punch the man in front of him. Captain Singh's cool voice cut through his boiling angry thoughts.

"Well, from Barry, assault, battery, rape, false imprisonment, just to name a few. You're also going to have charges for what you did to Leonard Snart. Attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, you get the idea." Red in the face, Tyler began yelling at Singh and Joe for a moment before finally settling on one phrase that ended their interrogation.

"I want a lawyer!" Joe and Singh looked at each other, a knowing gleam in their eye as they stood and left the room.

~x~x~x~

Barry was asleep, head pillowed on the hospital bed beside Len's thigh, with said man's fingers running through his hair when there was a knock at the door. Len looked up as the door opened, Joe and Captain Singh walking in. Len gently shook Barry, who looked around blearily, an expression of confusion on his face. Len smiled.

"You've got company." he said softly. Barry whipped his head around, looking for who Len was talking about, when his eyes settled on his foster father and Captain. Joe smiled at his son and took the chair beside him, Singh taking the one on the other side of the bed.

"We interrogated Tyler. He was very adamant that he doesn't remember leaving Keystone. Your secret is safe." Barry sighed, entire body sagging. Joe rested a hand on his shoulder giving him a comforting squeeze.

"So, what happens now?" Barry asked. Singh answered.

"I've talked to the DA. Along with your testimony, the evidence gathered at the hospital is enough to go forward with charges. Of course," his eyes slid over to Len. "We'll need Snart and Rory's testimony as well. Assuming you'll cooperate..." he trailed off. Len nodded once.

"Absolutely. Anything to keep the bastard behind bars. You can count Mick in, too." he said confidently. Barry smiled, eyes watering suspiciously, as he laid a hand over Len's. In response, Len turned his hand and intertwined their fingers. As Singh and Joe looked upon the scene, the look in their eyes softened. Singh cleared his throat and continued.

"There's a whole list of things he's going to be charged with, including felony assault and battery and attempted murder."

"He won't be able to get out of this because he can't remember, will he?" Barry asked, concerned.

"No." Singh answered immediately. The ADA on the case says we should have enough to successfully prosecute him." After a brief moment of silence, Len spoke up.

"When does the trial start?" Singh looked at his watch and then back at Len.

"He should be at arraignment now. We'll go before the Grand Jury tomorrow and, once the indictment is handed down, we'll go to trial. I talked to your doctor, Snart. You'll be released today. You'll have a wheelchair for a while, which is good for us. Makes you look more sympathetic." Singh finished with a smirk at the criminal. Len rolled his eyes huffed in irritation. Singh continued after a moment. "Be prepared, though. I imagine your entire criminal history will be brought up during cross. Rory's too." Len grimaced.

"I can handle it." he said. Barry gave his hand a squeeze and smiled, expression full of empathy. Len gave a small smile back. He was sure he could handle anything for the man sitting beside him.

~x~x~x~

The indictment had quickly been passed down and the prosecution was set to begin presenting its case the following Monday. Barry, along with Len and Mick, had spent their Friday meeting with the ADA on the case. Miguel Santos was the type of man who was all business. He spent hours going over each man's testimony with them and grilling them the way a defense attorney might. It had been a grueling day. Now, it was Sunday and Barry and Len were sitting on the couch in Joe's house, where they were going to stay for the duration of the trial. Barry sighed and leaned further against Len's shoulder.

"Nervous?" Len asked. Barry looked up and nodded.

"Yeah." he said. "I can't stop thinking about what's going to happen if he's found not guilty. What will we do?" Len rubbed Barry's arm with the hand he had around his shoulders.

"We'll figure it out if it comes to that. What I _do_ know, though, is that, no matter what happens, I'll _always_ protect you." Barry looked at Len with pure adoration in his eyes. He leaned up and placed a chaste kiss on Len's lips.

"Thank you."

~x~x~x~

Monday morning came far too quickly. Barry was set to be the first witness testifying for the prosecution and he was pacing the lobby outside the courtroom. Joe and Len were trying to calm him down, to no avail. Barry stopped when Len grabbed his hand from the wheelchair he was sitting in. Barry ran a nervous hand through his hair and looked down.

"It's going to be _fine_." Len stressed. Barry took a shaky breath and exhaled.

"Yeah." he said, not convinced. Cisco, Caitlin, Iris, and Joe looked on from a few feet away. Lisa was there, too, but she was across the street getting coffees for everyone, with the help of Mick. Barry took a moment to look around at his friends and family. He had a great support system. No matter what happened during the course of this trial, he knew they would have his back. Barry turned his head as a court clerk came and opened the courtroom doors so everyone could begin to get seated. His group walked in and took seats right in the front, behind the prosecution's table. Len parked his chair at the end of the row and Barry sat beside him. As they waited for ADA Santos, the defense attorney, Tyler, and the judge, Lisa and Mick returned, passing out drinks to the group. Santos and the defense arrived a few minutes later and then everyone stood as the judge, a severe-looking man named Judge Kearney, entered the room and took his seat. The prosecution gave opening statements and, all too soon, called Barry to take the stand. Barry was sworn in and he sat on the witness stand. He fiddled with his fingers as he stared out at the courtroom and jury. He was wondering what was going through their heads.

"Will you state your full name for the court?" Santos said, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Um, Bartholomew Henry Allen." Barry answered. He couldn't believe he sounded so unsure. He had testified in hundreds of cases. This shouldn't be any different. Unfortunately, it _was_. It was so, so different.

"And, how do you know the defendant?" Barry looked at the jury for a moment before answering.

"He was my boyfriend in college."

"Are you currently dating?" Barry fidgeted some more.

"We were. Until a few days ago."

"What happened a few days ago?" Santos asked. Barry quickly glanced at Tyler and back at Santos.

"A friend convinced me to leave him. When I was trying, he shot that friend."

"Why did your friend need to convince you to leave him? What was wrong with the relationship?"

"Tyler was abusive. Ever since college, he would get angry and hit me. That progressed into beatings. He even attacked me with a knife one night." The defense attorney, a slimy-looking man named George Johnson, startled Barry when he stood and shouted.

"Objection, Your Honor! Mr. Allen recanted the the story of the knife attack to police. Either he's lying now, or he lied then." The judge looked to Santos, who addressed the objection.

"Mr. Allen will testify that recanting his story that night was a direct result of a threat from Mr. Moss after he was arrested." The judge looked over at Barry.

"Is that true, Mr. Allen?" he asked.

"Yes. He, ah, called me the night he got arrested and threatened my family. That's why I told the detectives I had lied." The judge looked back at Johnson.

"Your objection is overruled." Johnson scowled, but sat down. Santos stepped up to the witness stand.

"Mr. Allen, how exactly did Mr. Moss threaten you?" he asked.

"He bragged about killing his ex."

"You mean Jared Sims?" Barry nodded. Santos turned to address the jury. "Jared Sims was found murdered, in the trunk of the defendant's car in 2008. The car had been set on fire. The case is still open and an arrest was never made." he turned back to Barry. "Go on, Mr. Allen."

"He said he would kill my family, like he killed Jared, and lock me in his basement, where nobody could help me." Barry swallowed past the lump in his throat.

"And, you believed him?" Barry nodded shakily.

"Yeah. At that point, I knew what he was capable of."

"So, to keep your family safe, you stayed with Mr. Moss?"

"Yes."

"And, when did the defendant reappear in your life?" Barry looked down at his hands, thinking back.

"He came to Central about four months ago."

As the questioning went on and on, Barry studiously answered each question to the best of his ability. He teared up a time or two, but was mostly able to keep his emotions in check. It felt like his entire life was being laid bare for everyone in the courtroom to see. He was also made jumpy by the looks he was drawing from, not only Tyler, but his attorney as well. Finally, Santos' questions came to an end and Barry braced himself for the cross examination.

"No further questions, Your Honor." Santos straightened his suit jacket and returned to his seat. The defense attorney stepped out from around the defense table and approached the stand. Barry was wringing his hands together in his lap, nervous about being cross examined. He lifted his eyes slightly to catch Len's and the emotion, the warmth and affection, the other man let show in his gaze choked Barry up for a moment. Barry's attention was drawn back to Johnson when the man began speaking.

"Now, Mr. Allen, you've testified that you were terrified of my client. That he beat you and you were scared for your life." Barry nodded. "That begs the question then, if my client was such a horrible person, if you were _truly_ so scared of him, why did you go back? _Why_ did you go back to the man that allegedly hurt you?" Barry shifted anxiously in his seat before answering the question. His voice shook slightly as he spoke.

"I-I was scared." he said. Johnson had a skeptical look on his face.

"Ah. You were scared? So, you took back the man that caused that fear? Makes sense." Out the corner of his eye, Barry noticed Len with his hands around the arms of his wheelchair in a white-knuckled grip. He looked pissed. Suddenly, Santos stood and addressed the judge.

"Objection, your honor! Asked and answered. Is there another question in this?" Judge Kearney leveled a look at Johnson.

"Sustained. Move along Mr. Johnson." he instructed. Johnson nodded.

"Mr. Allen, can you tell me what made you so scared that you took the defendant back?"

"Like I said before, I was afraid for the lives of my family. Tyler had threatened them before and I felt that, if I didn't take him back and let him move in with me, he would hurt or kill them."

"Why didn't you go to the police at any time during the time you were with my client?" Barry looked down at his hands.

"I didn't think there was anything they could do. He always bragged about getting away with the murder of his ex-boyfriend. I didn't think they could stop him."

"But, you think there's something they can do _now_?" Johnson said in disbelief.

"Someone I know gave me the courage to finally stand up for myself." Barry said firmly. He sent a small smile to Len who returned it with one of his own. Johnson looked back at Len before turning to Barry, a little smirk on his face.

"Would that someone happen to be Leonard Snart?" he asked. Barry hesitated slightly before answering.

"Yes."

"Now, how do _you_ , a CSI for the CCPD, know Mr. Snart, a known criminal?" Barry shifted uncomfortably again. He hated that he was going to have to lie on the stand.

"We've had some run ins with each other. We've...interacted before." Johnson moved toward the jury.

"Mmhm. Is it true that Mr. Snart's entire criminal record with, not only the CCPD, but the FBI and Interpol has recently mysteriously disappeared?" Barry hesitated again, looking desperately to Joe. His foster father looked worried.

"Yes." Johnson walked back to stop in front of Barry.

"Mr. Allen, did _you_ delete Mr. Snart's records?"

"W-what? No!"

"Do you have access to the criminal records in the CCPD database, Mr. Allen?" Barry paled.

"W-well, yes." he answered.

"And, do you have access to the records stored in the FBI and Interpol databases?" Barry let out a small breath of relief. _This_ question, he could answer truthfully.

"No." he said confidently. That stupid smirk was still on Johnson's face and it made Barry uneasy.

"Do you _know_ somebody who can illegally hack into the FBI and Interpol databases?" Barry's eyes darted to Cisco faster than anyone could see. A moment later, Santos stood again.

"Objection! Mr. Allen and Mr. Snart aren't on trial here. Can we please focus on the defendant?" he said in exasperation.

"I'm not going to warn you again, Mr. Johnson." the judge said reproachfully. Johnson turned to the judge.

"Your honor, this goes to the credibility of the only witnesses the state has against my client. How can we trust the testimony of a convicted criminal and crooked CSI?" he asked haughtily.

"Your honor, there is no evidence that Mr. Allen has _ever_ been anything but an upstanding member of the CCPD and, let me remind Mr. Johnson that Mr. Snart has no criminal record!" Santos said angrily. Johnson whirled around to face Santos.

"That's because _someone_ deleted it and rid the CCPD of all the physical evidence they had against Snart!" he shouted, turning back to Judge Kearney. "Snart is a criminal who was recently on trial for killing his own father! He's not a very trustworthy witness."

"Judge, can you remind Mr. Johnson that Mr. Snart was acquitted of all charges regarding the death of Lewis Snart?" Santos asked. Johnson sneered.

"Murder, you mean." he said. Barry looked back and forth between ADA Santos and Johnson like he was watching a tennis match. His anxiety soon turned to raging anger the more he heard what came out of Johnson's mouth. He looked over at Tyler who was leering at him, a smirk on his face at his obvious discomfort. Coming to a decision, Barry spoke up over the voices of the arguing attorneys.

"Leonard Snart is a good man!" he said loudly. Silence settled over the courtroom and all eyes turned to Barry. "He's a _much_ better man than the defendant! He-" Barry's impassioned speech was abruptly cut off when Johnson spoke over him.

"No further questions, Your Honor." Barry was about to continue, but Johnson held up a hand. "Mr. Allen, you can go now." he said, returning to his seat. Barry looked helplessly at Santos, who sighed.

"Redirect, Your Honor?" he asked. Judge Kearney nodded and Santos came around the table. "Mr. Allen, what were you about to say?" Barry swallowed and looked at the jury.

"I know he's a criminal, but Leonard Snart is a _good_ man whose testimony can be trusted. He stayed with me. He stayed in the room with me when a crazy man was holding me at gunpoint. Even when the gun was turned on him and he was told to leave, by not only Tyler, but myself as well, he stayed. He could have easily left, turned his back and walked away, saving himself. But, he didn't. He _stayed_ and tried to overpower Tyler to save me. So, yes, he's made some bad choices throughout the course of his life, but who hasn't? When it mattered most, he risked his own life to save mine and got shot for the effort. I trust him." By the time Barry was finished speaking, there were unshed tears in his eyes. He looked each member of the jury in the eye and silence rang out for a few moments.

"Nothing further." Santos said, moving back to his table and shifting through some papers. Barry stood and stepped down from the stand. He returned to his seat beside Len's wheelchair, and when he sat, Len grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers. Barry looked up with a warm smile, the look reflected on Len's own face. He squeezed Len's hand and took a deep breath, calming himself. He could do this. As long as Len was with him, he could do this.

x~x~x~x

Soooo, Santos is definitely based on Rafael Barba from Law & Order: SVU. I'm not ashamed. lol He's my favorite ADA on that show.


	8. Chapter 8

Oh my gosh guys! This is it! This is the end! It's been a wonderful journey and I've thoroughly enjoyed writing this story. I hope you like the ending! Let me know what you think!

~x~x~x~

Next, it was Len's turn to testify. He rolled his wheelchair up to the witness stand and was helped up into the seat by the court officer. He described in great detail what happened the afternoon he was shot. That was the easy part. When the prosecution had no further questions, Johnson stood, a smirk on his face.

"Mr. Snart, what was it you did for a living before all this?" he asked smugly. Len scowled and Santos jumped up.

"Objection!" he exclaimed. Johnson looked at the judge.

"It goes to his credibility, Your Honor." he said. Judge Kearney thought for a moment before ruling.

"Overruled." he said, shooting a glare at Johnson. "Tread lightly, Mr. Johnson." he warned. Johnson nodded and turned back to Len expectantly. _Two can play at this game._ Len thought as he smirked.

"Odd jobs here and there." he said flippantly. Johnson sneered.

"How many of those 'odd jobs' were legal?" he asked. Len was about to answer that all of them were when he looked at Barry. Sweet, innocent Barry who didn't deserve any of this. He _couldn't_ do anything to jeopardize this case. Surely at least one juror had heard of him in the news. After all, Captain Cold's exploits were were quite noteworthy. If they caught him lying, it could be enough reasonable doubt to let Moss go free and Len couldn't allow that to happen, even if he had to go to jail himself.

"Not many." he answered honestly. Murmurs erupted throughout the courtroom and the judge banged his gavel.

"Order!" he demanded. When everyone was quiet, Len continued.

"I've made some mistakes, but your client is a scumbag and Barry is a friend I was trying to help."

"And, how can we believe you?" Johnson moved back to his table. "No further questions, Your Honor." Len was about to get up when Santos stood.

"Redirect?" he requested. Judge Kearney nodded. Santos came around the table and addressed Len. "Mr. Snart, how old were you when you pulled your first job?" he asked. Len was confused as to where this was going, but answered honestly.

"Eight. My hands were small, they could fit in tight spaces better than my dad's."

"And, how old were you when you went to juvie for the first time?"

"Fourteen. My dad timed his heist wrong and he left me behind while fleeing. I took the fall for the entire thing."

"How did your father treat you?"

"He was rough, but I could handle things up until he went to prison. When he got out, he was mean, abusive. He beat my mother and, when she left us, he turned his anger towards me."

"So, is it safe to say that you never had a chance? That becoming a criminal and following in your father's footsteps, so to say, was the most likely outcome of your life?" Santos surmised. Len looked down.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. It's the only thing I've ever known."

"But that doesn't mean that you can't be honest, does it? After all, you're being honest now." Santos turned back to his table. "No more questions." The court officer helped Len back into his chair and he took his place next to Barry, who grabbed his hand and squeezed tightly.

~x~x~x~

When the trial was over and the case went to the jury, everyone was gathered in the hallway outside the courtroom. Barry was sitting on a bench, wringing his hands together nervously. Joe walked over and handed him a cup of water.

"Everything will be fine, Barr." Joe said, reassuringly. Santos walked up from somewhere and tried to put Barry's mind at ease as well.

"He's right." he said. "We had a strong case. I'm sure the jury will do the right thing." Barry smiled up at the man, but it was only halfhearted. Len grabbed Barry's free hand from where he was sitting in the wheelchair and smiled warmly at him, determination shining in his blue eyes.

"Remember, no matter what happens, I'll protect you." Tears sprung to Barry's eyes and he smiled, leaning forward to rest his head against Len's shoulder. The stress of everything was finally getting to him and he let out a soft sob. For his part, Len wrapped his arm around Barry and rubbed his arm soothingly. Everyone else stayed quiet and let them have their moment, glad that Barry had Len by his side.

They had been occupying the hall outside the courtroom for just forty minutes when Santos looked down at his phone after it vibrated.

"The jury's back." he said simply. Barry looked up sharply, his gaze worried.

"But, it's only been forty minutes." he said, voice betraying his anxiety.

"This could be a good thing. Hopefully, they're back so quickly because they saw through Moss' defense and are ruling in our favor." Santos replied. They all moved back into the courtroom and took their seats. Barry was grasping Len's hand in a crushing grip. He watched with bated breath as the jury filed in and took their seats. A woman, she must be the foreman, stood and waited for the judge to address her.

"Madame foreman, have you reached a verdict?" Judge Kearney asked.

"We have, Your Honor." she responded.

"How do you find?"

"We find the defendant, Tyler Moss, guilty on all charges." The exhale of breath he hadn't realized he was holding left Barry sagging in his seat. Relief washed over him at the verdict. He turned when he heard Tyler yelling and saw the court officers trying to wrangle him and take him back to his cell. Barry's hands were shaking, but he was happy. As everyone was filing out of the courtroom, Santos approached him.

"I just got a message from a detective in Keystone. They've turned up some witnesses in the Jared Sims case. It seems Moss paid them off. They're returning the money and plan to testify. He's never getting out." Santos rested a hand on Barry's shoulder and squeezed comfortingly. Barry nodded.

"Thank you." he said earnestly. Santos smiled and patted Barry on the back, moving out of the way. Barry pushed Len out of the courtroom and down the hall where Joe and the others were waiting. Everyone gathered around to take turns giving Barry a hug. When it was Lisa's turn, she murmured in his ear.

"I'm glad my jerk brother helped you. Welcome to the family." Barry smiled brightly at her when they pulled apart, thankful that she was so accepting of him.

"Let's have a party!" Cisco suddenly announced. Everyone turned to look at him. "I'm serious!" he said. "Barry, this is the beginning of a new life for you! The ending of one chapter and the beginning of another. We should totally have a party!" Everyone thought for a moment before Lisa chimed in.

"I agree. Let's! Why don't you all go get ready and leave the preparations to Cisco and I. Mick, wanna cook?" she batted her lashes at Mick, not that he needed convincing to cook. He grunted and nodded, Lisa squealing with glee.

"Alright, Micky, head to the grocery store. Cisco, let's go!" Len rolled his eyes at his sister, but Barry was smiling, so he wasn't going to protest.

~x~x~x~

When they got back to Joe's house, Barry helped Len upstairs so that they could change and get ready for the party. They had to be at S.T.A.R. Labs at eight, so they had some time. Barry helped Len sit on his bed and then sat beside him. Len took Barry's hand and looked over at him.

"How do you feel?" he asked. Barry laughed.

"I should be asking you that." he responded, amused. "This all feels so surreal. I've been afraid of Tyler for so long and now, he's gone. I don't know how to feel. I guess, relieved." Barry shrugged. Len smiled at him.

"It is surreal at first, but it'll sink in. You don't ever have to be afraid again. Not as long as I'm around." he said sincerely. After a moment of just gazing into each other's eyes, Len slowly leaned forward and closed his eyes. Barry closed his as well as they met in the middle in a chaste kiss. Len's hand came up and gently cupped Barry's cheek as the kiss deepened. When they pulled apart, they smiled at each other.

"I'm glad you refused to leave me alone." Barry whispered. Len chuckled.

"Me too." he said. After a moment, he continued. "C'mon, let's get dressed."

~x~x~x~

"I want to make a toast!" Cisco raised his glass and shushed everyone's chatter. Cisco, Lisa, and Mick had gone all out. The Cortex was decorated with streamers, balloons, and gold glitter while a buffet table was set up in the middle with all kinds of delicious food. Turns out Mick knew his way around the kitchen quite well. Barry had already had three plates full of food and there was a ton left. Len was having trouble concentrating on anyone else as Barry kept making sinful moans around bites of food. He was glad he was still in the wheelchair and was able to put his plate of food in his lap to cover his _problem_. Everyone quieted down and turned to Cisco. "Here's to Barry and Len. I never thought I'd say this, but you're not so bad Captain Cold. Thank you for helping my bestie out of a bad situation. All this, that jackass going to jail, everything is because of you and, for that, you have my eternal gratitude." Len colored slightly pink at all the attention.

"Mine too." Barry murmured, leaning down to kiss Len's cheek.

"Awwww!" Lisa cooed obnoxiously at her brother. Len rolled his eyes, but couldn't wipe the grin off his face.

"Yeah, well, getting shot was worth it if this is the reward." Chuckles sounded from all around the Cortex as people laughed in amusement. Barry was grinning and looking at Len like a fool in love and that made Len feel all warm and tingly inside. It was the first time he had ever felt that way and he decided he liked it. With Barry by his side, he could conquer the world.

 **The End**


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